Oral Surgery: How to Manage Swelling and Pain

Pain and Swelling are an inevitable part of oral surgery that you must endure whether you undergo a procedure for wisdom tooth extraction, dental implant placement or gum grafting. The swelling generally peaks between 48 to 72 hours following the procedure and is uncomfortable. However, it is a component of the recovery process.

Preventing the bodily reaction is practically impossible, but the oral surgeon performing the process provides tips for reducing swelling after oral surgery, which you must follow diligently. The oral surgeon will also suggest taking prescription or over-the-counter painkillers to alleviate pain, besides prescribing antibiotics to prevent infections. You must take the medications as the surgeon directs to ensure uncomplicated recovery.

Helpful Tips to Adopt When Recovering from Oral Surgery

Besides managing pain and swelling after oral surgery, you must adhere to the post-operative instructions provided by the surgeon to recover quickly from the surgical process. Mentioned below are some tips you should adopt:

Cold Compress Application:

During the initial 24 hours after your oral surgery, cold compresses or ice packs can help manage pain and swelling. You can wrap some ice cubes in an ice pack or use frozen vegetables in towels to prevent the cold from directly contacting your skin. You must hold the source of coolness to the exterior of your face near the surgical site keeping it on the area for 15 minutes and following the cycle of 15 minutes on and off throughout the day. For example, if you had oral surgery to remove all four wisdom teeth in four quadrants of your jaw, you can use the 15-minute cycles on the swollen parts of your face alternating between the swollen areas. Cold therapy becomes ineffective after 24 hours, making it essential to switch to heat to reduce the swelling.

Heat Application:

The swelling peaks 48 to 72 hours after the surgical process. When the swelling has peaked, you must start using moist heat to alleviate swelling and discomfort applying to use it until the swelling peaks. Moist heat does not irritate your skin but allows expansion of the blood vessels enabling them to carry away the fluids causing the swelling. Similar to a cold compress application, you can use the source of heat applying it over the swollen area for 20-minute intervals alternating between different surgical sites.

While the swelling will require a few more days to subside, the home remedies for swelling and pain after oral surgery, with the surgeon’s post-operative instructions, help manage discomfort after the surgical process.

Alternative Suggestions for Quick Recovery After Oral Surgery

Swelling and pain are not the only complications that accompany oral surgery. To speed your healing, you must also use the following:

Rest:

on the day of your surgical process, you must rest your body to recover. If you prefer lying down, you must keep your head elevated to encourage proper blood flow to alleviate swelling in your mouth and face. In addition, propping your head with extra pillows will help reduce excessive bleeding post-surgery.

Mouth Cleaning:

you might find brushing and floss challenging after oral surgery. However, you can use a saltwater rinse to keep the surgical site clean because saltwater has antibacterial properties that help kill bacteria that might infect the surgical site. Saltwater is also effective in reducing swelling. You can rinse gently with salt water after every meal keeping in mind not to rinse vigorously for fear of disrupting the healing process.

An inevitable part of any oral surgical process is pain and swelling. While the oral surgeon will provide post-operative instructions with prescriptions for medicines, it helps if you use the effective strategies to control swelling after oral surgery described in this article for optimal results.

The surgical process ends at the surgeon’s practice, allowing you to return home after the procedure with all instructions provided by the surgeon. However, if you ignore them, you will likely experience more discomfort than recovering quickly without complications. Therefore before you leave the surgeon’s office, discuss with them alternative ways to reduce pain and swelling to make your healing process easy and pain-free. You will receive all the guidance from the surgeons to ensure you recover without complications to continue with your everyday activities at the earliest.

The oral surgeon at Toronto East Maxillofacial Surgery are well-versed in performing different types of oral surgery and provide patients with guidance on recovering quickly and successfully. Undergoing oral surgery from them helps you recover soon without experiencing discomfort during your healing.